Systemic prednisolone versus topical tranexamic acid for prevention of rebleeding in patients with traumatic hyphema: A randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of systemic prednisolone and topical tranexamic acid (TA) on the rate of rebleeding in patients with macroscopic traumatic hyphema (MTH).

METHOD: In a randomized clinical trial, patients with MTH were randomized to receive oral prednisolone (OP group) or topical TA drops (TA group). Comprehensive ophthalmic examinations including slit lamp examination and fundoscopy, intraocular pressure (IOP), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and check for rebleeding were performed in all cases.

RESULTS: Ninety eyes of 90 patients were included, and 45 patients were allocated into each group. Age, sex, IOP, BCVA and grade of hyphema were not different between groups. Rebleeding in the TA group (2 patients, 4.4%) occurred less frequently than in the OP group (7 patients, 15.6%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.081). However, there was a significant difference between the two groups over time in terms of absorption of the MTH (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION: Topical TA appears promising in the management of macroscopic traumatic hyphema.